All roads accessible to emergency vehicles, more people allowed back to their homes

The City of Minneapolis along with numerous partners are continuing their efforts to get folks back in their homes, ensure their safety and provide the assistance and resources they need to make it through this difficult time.

People are retuning to their homes
Following Sunday’s tornado, emergency managers divided the area affected into three zones, and to date residents in
zone 1 and
zone 2 have been allowed to return home. Within these zones, staff has spent the days going block-by-block, door-to-door, assessing damage, evaluating the safety of structures, and clearing debris to reopen streets. As areas are cleared, residents (only residents) will be allowed to return to their homes. If staff identifies a property as unsafe, they will place an orange placard on the front door. Owners and residents should not enter a property that has been identified as unsafe. City officials are working to clear the way so it’s safe for folks in all three zones to return to their homes by Wednesday.

Continued housing for affected families
The shelter set up at the Northeast Armory accommodated 61 people overnight and is continuing today to provide services to people in need but the number of people needing shelter services is going down as more people are returning to their homes. Since Tuesday, more than two dozen families with children have moved from the shelter to the recently-renovated Drake Hotel Downtown. People who need assistance can still go to the Armory at 1025 Broadway Ave. If folks need transportation to the Armory, call 311. Since opening Sunday, 535 have gotten assistance at the shelter.

All streets now accessible to emergency vehicles: Minneapolis Public Works crews, in partnership with Xcel Energy, have been working to clear debris and downed power lines. Streets are now passable for emergency vehicles and work continues to clear them curb to curb to accommodate all traffic.